The Customer Perspective: What the Security Industry Needs to Hear
Hear directly from one of the industry’s leading end users as Frank Dawson shares how the role of security is evolving, what executive leadership expects today, and how manufacturers, software providers, and integrators can better support the customers they serve.
Moderator: Ann Fandozzi, CEO, Convergint
Guest: Frank Dawson, Southern Company
Speakers
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Ann FandozziCEO
ConvergintAnn Fandozzi is a highly lauded, dynamic leader and growth guru, who today is the proud CEO of Convergint, a world class security systems integrator whose everyday goal is to be their customers’ BEST service provider. Her skill set has been honed over more than a decade of helming both private and public companies such as RBA (formerly Ritchie Brothers), where she was recruited to helm the company that had experienced 10 years of stagnant growth and in just 3.5 years, she transformed the company from a live auctioneer to a global marketplace, resulting in market cap growth from $3.5B to $13+B, outperforming the S&P 500 and all industry peers.
This exceptional performance came on the heels of Fandozzi’s previous role as the CEO of Abra Auto Body & Glass, a Hellman & Friedman Private Equity-backed company, where in 25 months she unlocked profitability thru turbo charging growth (organically and through M&A) for this $1+ billion leader in the collision Industry.
Prior to joining ABRA, Fandozzi was the CEO of Ride, a car-sharing platform that is reinventing the commute by bringing carpooling into the modern, technology age. She created and founded Ride shortly after being hired by TPG Growth to lead vRide, a legacy vanpool company suffering from low margins, and shrinking market share. Over 3 short years, Fandozzi built a world-class management and technology team which led to a successful exit and sale to its largest competitor.
Prior to these CEO roles, Fandozzi was general manager and corporate vice president for Whirlpool, director of the DaimlerChrysler Global Family Vehicle business, where she is credited with the invention and development of the Stow-N-Go fold flat seats that are now a standard in minivans across the automotive industry. Earlier in her career, she gained significant experience in consumer marketing, product development and engineering at Ford Motor Company, McKinsey & Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation.
Fandozzi has served on several public and private boards and is a current board member of Ghost Robotics, a startup aimed at transforming autonomous legged robotics. She holds an MBA in marketing and finance and a M.S. in systems engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. in computer engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
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Frank DawsonDirector of Operations – Corporate Security
Southern CompanyFrank Dawson serves as Director of Operations for Corporate Security at Southern Company, where he provides strategic and operational leadership for enterprise security programs supporting one of the nation’s largest electric utility organizations. In this role, he oversees security operations that protect critical infrastructure, enable operational resilience, and support the company’s commitments to provide safe, clean and reliable energy.
With a diverse professional background that integrates Corporate Security, Compliance, and Economic Development, giving him a unique perspective on how security directly supports business growth and community investment. Prior to his current role, he held senior leadership positions responsible for enterprise compliance and policy governance, leading the development, implementation, and ongoing review of corporate policies across complex, regulated organizations. This experience continues to inform his disciplined, governance-driven approach to security leadership.
In addition to his security and compliance work, Mr. Dawson has managed Economic Development for Mississippi Power. Partnering with business development teams, local governments, and external stakeholders to support site selection, industrial expansion, and large-scale customer investment. In this capacity, he lead a team of professionals who helped grow CAP X investments, job growth, and job retention to the State of Mississippi.
In his career, Mr. Dawson held operational security and risk management roles of increasing responsibility, supporting physical security operations, incident response, threat assessments, and stakeholder coordination across geographically dispersed assets. He worked closely with operations, engineering, legal, human resources, and external partners to manage risk in environments where operational continuity and workforce safety were critical.
Mr. Dawson regularly engages executive leadership and boards to translate complex security risks into clear business impacts and defensible decisions. He provides leadership on utility security, critical infrastructure protection, economic development, and the evolving role of corporate security in regulated industries, with a professional focus on aligning security strategy with business growth and long-term resilience
Frank has been a member of Southern Company’s Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Alliance (DILA), Southern Company Security Council, PCL facilitators and has chaired Mississippi Power’s Leadership Development Council. In addition, Frank chaired Mississippi Power’s Strategic Growth Committee.
A native of Biloxi, MS, Dawson holds a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master of Business Administration from William Carey University. Dawson is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast and a 2022 Graduate of Leadership Mississippi. Frank holds the CPP and CFE designations.
